Houston Symphony musicians shine in quintet

Four members of the Houston Symphony joined SHSU’s Director of Collaborative Piano Studies for a stunning three-piece recital on Monday in the Performing Arts Centre.

These fine performers have performed in Carneige Hall in New York, recorded CDs and travelled the world. The Houston Symphony members included violinists and sisters Rodica Oancea-Gonzales and Mihaela Oancea-Frusina, Wei Jiang on viola and Jeffery Butler on cello. The pianist for the recital is SHSU’s own Dr. Ilonka Rus-Edery.

Repertoire for the evening consisted of Ann Karen Gebuhr’s Arcane Vistas, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Trio in E flat major, Op. 1, No. 1, and Robert Schumann’s Piano Quintet in E flat Major, Op. 44.

The audience was held captive by the masterful, delicate way Oancea-Gonzales and Rus made their instruments sing on Arcane Vistas. Not a sound came from the audience. The only extraneous noise was the product of sheet music pages turning on stage.

The second vista gave the audience a taste of prepared piano and a modern play style. Rus placed an object on the strings and scraped against the strings with her fingers. The eerie sound produced developed throughout the piece.

The only downside to this entrancing piece and performance was the flow. With short movements and minimal pauses, the vistas blurred together and became difficult to separate.

Piano Quintet game the entirety of the piano quintet a chance to shine as an ensemble. Further proving the delicate style of Romantic Era music, this piece was a fitting ending to the recital.

On Piano Trio, representative of Beethoven’s early works, the trio of Oancea-Frusina, Butler and Rus were guilty of nothing but performing with the ideal style for the era of the piece. With effortless blending, the trio further proved their masteries of their instruments both as individual players and an ensemble.

Much can be said about the ensemble and their talents, and to have a small group like this quintet sound like a full orchestra is phenomenal.

Overall, the recital was well performed and the repertoire chosen showcased each musician. It was a treat for the audience. This recital was truly a rewarding way to spend an evening.

Giving this recital anything less than 5 out of 5 paws would be an insult.